Of Ice and Snow
by Aphiria
Summary: Sometimes promises get broken even if you fight to keep them.
1. Chapter 1

I'm not into canon pairings. In fact I'm not into popular pairings at all but this was a request that just bugged me until I broke down and wrote it. I might make it into a multi chapter but with all my other ongoing stories it will readily depend on reader's response. So respond : )

And, as always, it's my mind, Masashi Kishimoto's characters.

* * *

"I thought you said this would be simple."

Sakura held her dislocated shoulder as her eyes adjusted to the dark, dank cave. She could barely make out the outline of her partner but she could smell his blood.

"Damn it Hyuuga, where did you get hit?"

She felt him settled next to her, a grunt of annoyance slipping out.

"It isn't serious- AH!"

Sakura had found the gash in his leg and pulled out the rough piece of bark that had lodged into the wound while they were making their escape from the exploding compound they had infiltrated. A simple information gathering mission is what he told her. It's why she told him yes in the first place. And what did she get for her generosity? Opiate controlled goons and a small arsenal of new and improved black market weaponry. She could see his face now as her healing hands cast a green glow around them. Neji sat quietly though Sakura could see his eyes screw shut against the pain as she pulled the smaller fragments free. Missions changed on a whim and she knew that. None of this was his fault… except her sore jaw. If she hadn't turned to see his leg impaled by an elongating spear she would never had taken the blow. Or the dislocated shoulder when she caught him before he fell from the trees they were using as their express highway to home and safety. If she knew one thing about Neji it was the fact that he did not screw up. Almost falling out of a tree and getting injured in the first place was considered screwing up in her book. She studied his face very carefully as her hands lost their glow. His eyes were slightly different. It seemed as if the lids were too thick, too heavy.

"Neji."

He looked up to her, his lips a thin line.

"I'm fine Sakura, that was unnecessary."

When she heard the smallest stumble over his S's she immediately shoved her shoulder back into place, ignoring the wave of fire that ran down her arm, to kneel in front of him. She pulled his face to hers as she pried open one of his opaque eyes. It was hard to tell in the dark and with the pale cornea almost the same color as the iris but having examined nearly all of the Hyuugas eyes' at one point she could tell that his eyes were dilated to the size of the moon overhead if the clouds would break. She sifted through the scenes of the fight calmly in her mind as to what might cause his ailment. She had seen the junky weapons. They were cheap but still deadly. They did have poisoned kunai but she herself had dispatched that goon by putting his head through a wall before he had time to use them. Her mind stilled on the very last scene of their fight as they were fleeing the impending explosion. She had been hot on Neji's heels when he pulled her in front of him and pushed her into the first level of tree branches. She remembered hearing a slightly howling sound. She had written it off as her speeding through the trees but now she wasn't so sure.

"Sak-"

"Shut up Neji."

She tilted his head to the side and found two holes dripping sticky blood down the side of his neck. Anger clouded her mind and she fought with herself. She wanted to strangle him for saving her. Her fingertips stopped mere millimeters from his wound. He had saved her from the poisoned needles. She looked back to his now moon illuminated skin. She could see the sheen of sweat on his brow. She didn't have time to question his motives. She dipped her fingertips into his blood and brought it to her lips. She spat out the poisoned blood. It was a strong form of the opiate used on the goons. She settled herself onto the floor between his legs, throwing her own legs over his thighs as she steadied his head in her hands.

"Are you hit anywhere else?"

"No."

"Neji listen to me. I have to extract the poison. I don't have anything to dilute it in. I'm going to use my chakra and take it into my system."

He seemed to sober up for a second, "No, Kakashi told me, keep you safe."

She scowled at him as his intentions came up to the surface. Her anger at their blatant thoughts of her not being able to take care of herself spurred her forward.

"I've handled this drug before. I've had it in my system. I have immunities to it but it's still going to knock me out. I'll be fine as long as you get me back to Konoha within 48 hours."

"Sakura-"

She didn't give him time to answer as she put a glowing green hand over his wound. His hands gripped her thighs as his breathing became fast and shallow. She could feel a new burn rocket up her arm. She knew that he would have caught her white lie if he was at his normal capacities. She had not had this drug in her system before. This was potent, strong, fast working, nothing she had ever experimented with in the lab or in the field. This was entirely new and painful. She kept her mouth shut and forced her eyes to focus on her hands as Neji braced himself against the wall. She delved her chakra deeper into his system ignoring quiet grunts of pain. The running had done nothing to help him, his adrenaline just pushed the drug further into his veins and muscles and organs. She could hear her breathing match his own as sweat began to make her high collared black shirt stick to her neck. ANBU gear wasn't the best clothing to wear when you're giving yourself the sweats. Sakura had gotten nearly the entire drug out of his system, leaving only the slightest of headaches behind as proof that it was once there. She exited his chakra system and tried to gain control of her breathing. She could feel the drug cloud her mind. She could also feel trace amounts of his chakra flood her system like ice brushing against her body, a cool river fighting against a wave of lava. A shiver crashed down her spine as sweat drenched her neck. She slumped forward leaning against him as she lost control.

"Forty, forty eight h-hours."

She could hear her breathing mask and blend into his own rushings of air. Instead of trying to decipher the sounds she closed her eyes and enjoyed the cool sensation of his chakra sliding against hers as the drug took her under in a fiery hold.

* * *

Neji didn't know what to do at first so he sat there and just held her against him. This pink haired medic was not in her right mind. He could have handled that drug better than she could have but she said that she had immunities. Even with that fact floating in his mind he still couldn't fight the gnawing feeling in his gut… or his head. He pulled one hand away from her heated skin to rub against his pounding forehead. If this was what he got from having the drug in his system for barely a quarter of an hour then she would be in worse shape. He felt her heavy breaths on his neck and was suddenly shocked to find that it wasn't even. He let her fall back gently into his arms so he could look at her face. He didn't need the moonlight to see beads of sweat sliding down her creamy skin. He hefted her up with him. He wouldn't need forty eight hours to get her back to Konoha. He would only need two.

* * *

Konoha Hospital was supposed to be a place for healing and comfort, and it was supposed to be a safe place. But at three o'clock in the morning on a cloudy full moon night the skies overhead weren't the only ones threatening to rain. The Fifth Hokage was threatening to rein fire over anyone that as so much opened his mouth to her. She had been brought in the second the nurses saw pink hair sweat slicked to the side of her pale face. Tsunade had extracted the poison and put an IV in her young assistant to help flush anything she did not miss out of her system. But what was worrying the Hokage more than Sakura's near fatal drug overdose was the fact that the frigid Hyuuga seemed worried about her. But that didn't mean the blonde wasn't flamingly mad. Nurses nearly dove to get out of her way as she brought the Hyuuga prodigy to a quite exam room.

"Tell me everything. Now."

His story took no more than thirty minutes. She ran a finger over her lips dark from pushing them into thin lines over and over again. She snapped her fingers and was rewarded with the silent arrival of two of her ANBU guard.

"You've heard the story. Find this place and make sure that it's truly blown off the face of this earth. Get a tracking team in my office. We are going to stop them from mass producing this poison before it hits the black markets."

The ANBU nodded and were gone giving Neji Hyuuga the cover he needed for a quick glance at the door. Something that was extremely unusual for him. Something that the Hokage eagerly pounced on hoping it would lead to something to lash her anger out on.

"I don't think you have any other place to be that is more important than here Hyuuga."

Tsunade narrowed her eyes at his calm ones. For someone so close to being eaten alive he sure was hard to unnerve.

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

He manners were grating on her already frayed nerves.

"Waiting for someone?"

Neji blinked slowly before answering. "I needed a partner for this mission. I did not originally choose Sakura but no other ninja of her caliber was available."

"Sakura is the only ninja of her caliber."

The Hyuuga bowed his head in respect of her words or just to placate her before continuing.

"I assured her that this would be a simple information gathering mission. But the agenda changed when we found that drug and saw the effects that it had. If I had known that I would have not asked her to go with me."

The chivalrous bullshit was the Hokage's breaking point. She stepped forward, closing in on the Hyuuga.

"Mission objectives change on a whim. Sakura knew that. But save the crap Neji. Why did you push her out of the way?"

She couldn't tell if he was nervous, or afraid, or if he was even happy. His ability to hold his composure was once a thing that she greatly admired about Neji, about the whole Hyuuga clan, but now she added it to the list of things that was starting to piss her off.

"I promised Hatake Kakashi that I would return her to the village safely."

Now it was the Hokage's turn to blink. Surprise halted all of her angry thoughts. He promised Kakashi. Soon memories clicked together in her head. Nearly a year ago Sakura had partnered up with Neji. And their simple mission had gone horribly wrong. A week went by with no word from two of Konoha's forerunning ANBU. Kakashi had badgered the already intensely worried Hokage to track them from their last known whereabouts. It was safe to assume that she didn't need any convincing. Sakura was very nearly her daughter just as she was for all intensive purposes his. Not even a day into the search Kiba had returned with a very injured Neji and information on Sakura. Four days later Kakashi showed up with Sakura in his arms. The hokage forced herself not to shudder at the chakra burns on her arms, or the dried blood on her body. She didn't need to look any further to know that torture seals had been used on the now frail girl. Kakashi had walked right in the Hyuuga's room and knocked him flat out with a right hook. Once she had been healed and stable Sakura had explained to both of them. She knew that if they captured the Hyuuga the Main branch would take his life using the caged bird seal to protect their secrets. She knew that she had a better chance of living given her strong Genjutsu abilities. They had not been able to gleam a single drop of information from her. And Kakashi had made sure they paid for each scratch on her skin. Her sacrifice was accepted by Tsunade but Kakashi vehemently hated the boy for putting Sakura through the painful torture techniques that he himself had been put under too many times before. Sakura recovered quickly with only a few nightmares but Kakashi still had not forgiven Neji even if Sakura herself was the one to blame.

"He just might kill you."

Neji did not flinch, did not blink, he just simply answered "I am aware of that Hokage-sama."

The Hokage could not fault him for this at all. He had pushed her out of the way and he was planning on not telling her about being struck even if it might have cost him his life but the medic-nin in her wouldn't allow that. She had broken Neji's promise to Kakashi. And now with his confession she could only be proud of the ninja at her command. It was just too sad that just as she was beginning to like him again he would die at the hands of the copy-nin. But maybe, just maybe…

"Sakura will need extensive therapy after this, a training partner specifically. I'm not sure that he won't ever stop hating you but he wouldn't kill you."

Now the Hokage saw confusion cross his features as she stepped away from him.

"I'm not angry at you, though I should be. Sakura did was she was taught to do, what I taught her to do. She helped a comrade in need. She saved her friend's life. Now I can admire that. I can forgive you for it but understand that Kakashi practically raised that girl. I'll have a talk with him but stay away from dark alleys."

She left the bewildered boy behind as she thought about heading to her office and destroying her desk to remove the trace amounts of stress and anxiety in her system, not to mention a few mission reports she had been putting off reading.

* * *

Neji leaned against the window and looked out at the rain pounded window. A few hours after he and Sakura had arrived the storm let loose a torrent of water. He took the time to think about what the Hokage had said. Honestly he would like nothing more than for Kakashi to beat him into a bloodied pulp. As he sped home with Sakura he caught her more than once not breathing. It scared him. The emotionless Hyuuga, terrified of losing her. That thought was more than worrisome. Sure he felt gratitude to Sakura for sacrificing herself for his life, twice now, but he felt something else for her entirely. It intrigued him and annoyed him to no end. He couldn't place this feeling but as he thought more about it the more he thought he might now what it was, friendship. Of course his teammates were his friends but his friendship with her came without prompting. After their first initial introduction he got along with her. He wouldn't say he got along well. They argued. She wore her heart on her sleeve he didn't. He could inflict killing blows and she could heal them. Neji turned now to the sleeping girl on the bed. She took even soft breaths, the machine beeping to him, letting him know of her repetitive rhythm. Neji knew what others perceived him to be. Raised a Hyuuga it was considered normal to act the way he did. Neji was like ice, cold, hard, unforgiving. And Sakura, she was kind, smart, yet terribly tempered. She was like snow, soft, gentle, coating all imperfections in pure white. That is what Sakura did, all of his mistakes she smoothed over never to be seen again. And now as he watched her among the hospital green blankets he wished that she hadn't.

"I assume you are here to take my head."

He lifted his tired eyes to the heated glare of Hatake Kakashi. When the elite ninja did not speak Neji sighed as he rubbed his eyes.

"I honestly wish that she would have said no."

"You knew she wouldn't."

The silent anger in the copy-nin's voice would still any beast in their dens. Neji nodded as she folded his arms across his chest, "I wish that I would have never asked."

Kakashi had a near growl to his voice now, "Then you shouldn't have."

Either his tiredness or the still ebbing headache had loosened his emotional control. He stepped forward toward the still angry Kakashi.

"Did you think I wanted to? She was my last resort."

Kakashi took his own step forward and Neji could almost feel the daggers in his eyes pierce is skin.

"Did you forget about the last time you were her partner?"

"I will never forget!"

Now he was so close Neji could smell the rain soaking his clothes.

"You left her behind."

Neji's own growl nearly decimated Kakashi's.

"Do you think I left her behind willingly?! She used a transportation Jutsu on me!"

Whatever response the Sharingan user had ready it caught in his throat. Neji looked him in the eye as he shared a burden he never wanted found out.

"By the time I came too I was three days away. I tried going back for her but I lost too much blood. You found me drifting in and out of a coma nearly a week later. She was my partner Kakashi. I gave it everything I had to get her out of there. I didn't want to leave her and in the end she didn't give me a choice."

He looked back to the bed trying to harvest some of her sleeping calm, anything to cull the anger that had engulfed him. Kakashi was doing the same. Minutes passed and they didn't say a word. Lightning flashed across the sky and thunder resounded, booming across the window's foggy glass. It seemed like the storm wouldn't let up any time soon. But something else entirely would.

"I didn't know that you fought to stay with her."

Neji kept his gaze on Sakura, watching her chest rise and fall.

"I don't want her to live through the things I went through."

Neji nodded slowly, glad that his anger seemed to be in check once again.

"I'm sorry for blaming you."

"I blamed myself Kakashi. It's why I haven't asked her to be my partner in nearly a year. I was afraid that she would wind up hurt again because of me."

A silent understanding filled the room as the rain pounded outside.

"You mean you weren't afraid of me at all?"

Neji felt a smirk play on his lips, "I can take on a washed out old man like you Hatake."

He could see his smirk through the mask as they both turned to each other.

"I must have been in really bad shape if you too are getting along."

Neji's eyes quickly darted back to the medic-nin now staring back at them with laughter in her green eyes. Kakashi regained his voice first.

"That's not very funny Sakura."

Neji felt something similar to relief as she smiled at her former sensei.

"Now you're going to have to give me the say no to drugs talk again."

As Kakashi made his way to her bed the Hyuuga made his way to the door. Her voice however caught him as he barely reached the frame.

"Neji next time you tell me it's going to be a simple mission I want it in writing."

He turned back slowly and watched her. A genuine yet tired smile found his lips as he spoke, "Of course, Sakura."


	2. Chapter 2

As always, it's my mind, Masashi Kishimoto's characters.

* * *

Sakura's senses were on full alert. She could smell the blood from her gashed knee. She could feel the dirt sticking to her sweaty skin. She could hear her heart pounding in her ears. She could hear his heavy breathing. The first time she sparred with Neji for her rehab he had barely even put any effort into it. He was simply trying to see where she was physically and she showed him exactly that with a crack to the jaw. The six days after that he hadn't let up on her. She went home bruised, sore, tired, and extremely happy. Neji was the best in hand to hand combat. She was the best at smashing things with her powerful green fists. But they both hadn't pushed themselves that far, at least not yet. They were still pushing each other, trying to get the other to break first and initiate the usage of chakra. And Sakura was at that point. For a week they had been going at it, everyday almost all day. They walked away with no one being the victor. But today that would end because it was driving Sakura mad.

She knew that the Hokage had ordered him to spar with her. To make triple sure that she was okay. And to make sure one of her indispensable ninja didn't get killed by another. She couldn't feel Kakashi lingering in the trees surrounding the training fields today. Which meant that he either had a mission or he was dead. Knowing the Copy-nin for almost all her life she assumed the former. Even if he were to die on a mission he would have managed to get word to her and Naruto via Pakkun and his nin-kin. Though they never spoke of it the silver haired ninja had become much like a father to them over the years. Just as she wondered if she had any biscuits left for Pakkun's next visit Neji's fist shot past her head. The pressure of the blow against her face alerted her to the fact that he knew she was daydreaming.

"You aren't taking this seriously Sakura."

She grinned at him as she jumped a few feet back, away from him and his fast hands.

"Then I'll get serious."

Her first glowed bright green and Neji barely had time to react before he was flying up in the air with rock and debris. Sakura darted forward through the dust expecting to catch him off guard again but she stopped short as his hand pierced the cloud of dirt. She grinned as his face followed, his byakugan activated. Now she could try something out her research on the Hyuuga Clan had hinted at.

* * *

Neji sat on the grass next to a heavily panting Sakura. He held no remorse for using the byakugan because she had used force first.

"It would seem that I am the victor."

The cold blade pressed to his throat and the very capable body pinning him to the ground proved otherwise. Just exactly how that body was pinning him was what he didn't understand. He was certain that he had targeted and hit every one of her chakra points, rendering her immobile. He had seem her stumble and fall and try in vain to move her unusable limbs.

"How are you still able to move?"

He watched as she gave him a being smile, "admit I beat you and I'll tell you."

He felt a scowl form on his face as his curiously got the better of him, "You win Sakura."

The smug girl rolled off of him to land on the ground next to his body, hear breath still not slowing down. He sat back up and waited for her to explain.

"Your byakugan allows you to see chakra systems and your bloodline techniques allow you to stop chakra flow. Right?"

He simply nodded his head.

"I got to thinking about my healing techniques. I use concentrated bursts of my chakra to restore cells and tissues and to repair damage. I thought that if I concentrate it at the right time and at the exact moment of your attack I could prevent the damage. I could block you from blocking my chakra system."

Neji could only stare at her in disbelieve. She rushed on.

"But it was harder than I thought. I had to mask my chakra the same time I had to concentrate it so you wouldn't know what I was doing."

He watched as she hefted up her right leg with both hands and dropped it in his lap.

"I don't even think Tsunade could walk away without a scratch."

He frowned at her as he found the chakra point in her thigh and reestablished the flow of chakra.

"I do not like being a guinea pig Sakura."

She lifted her leg up and stretched it out, smiling at the normal movement, "I bet you don't like losing either."

She was right. He hated losing. But he hated losing to such a cheap trick as playing possum. He thought that he had taken her down completely but he should have known better. She was smart and sly and a very good kunoichi. Tsunade had no need for worry or no need to take him off of missions for a week to look after her. She didn't need it. The first day of their training and a sore jaw had proven that. He stood up pulling a piece of paper from his pocket.

"I'll let Lady Tsunade know that you're ready to go back to work."

He handed her the slightly wrinkled note and made his way to exit the training fields. Before their spar today he had already foreseen that it would be their last so he took the liberty to put both of their names back into the running for missions. And Lady Tsunade was in a giving mood.

_**It is going to be a simple mission.**_

"Damn it Hyuuga!"

He didn't stop walking even as her cursing continued. It only made his grin grow. He might have lost the battle but he was one step ahead of her in the war.


	3. Chapter 3

Sorry that it's taken so long for me to update but thanks for sticking with me!

* * *

"We're both in Bingo books. We have to stick to our aliases from this point on."

Neji fell silent in the seat next to her. She rolled her eyes as she looked out at the trees. The leaves were changing color. Bright reds and yellows dotted the road they travelled on. She hoped this mission would be over soon so they could be back in Konoha for the first snow fall. It was her favorite time of year. At least she hoped they would be back for Christmas. Even now, after her parents' death, the holiday didn't haunt her with loneliness. Her teammates had become her family. She would cook for her bachelor of an ex sensei, a knuckleheaded brother, and a distant cousin that spent more time with paint than he did with people. She'd give out simple gifts to her friends. Scarves, books, candy, paints, ramen vouchers, things that were personal to each recipient. Of course when they all went away the apartment she lived in was as quiet as the snow that fell gently outside. It would be especially quiet this year since Naruto moved in with Hinata. But he was happy and that made Sakura happy even if she had an empty apartment to come home to.

"We should go over our cover once more, we are nearly there."

Sakura pulled her eyes away from the window catching a glimpse of her dark red hair. One of the perks of the mission was that she had to dye her rosette tresses that she painstakingly grew out. She wouldn't be able to uphold a henge during the entirety of this mission especially since she had to keep up the chakra seal holding her fake pregnant belly to her body. She took a second to look down at her ballooned stomach before retelling Neji their cover story.

"You are Sanda Naoki, the great grandson of the famous samurai that left war behind to live a life of peace as a carpenter and architect. You're filthy rich and because your family still retains their samurai training you won't have to hide anything but your eyes."

She glared at the narrowing blue of his contacts.

"You are Saki my wife. You were once a nurse that happened to care for me while I was sick. We fell in love. My family approved because of your kind heart. Your doctor suggested we move out of the city and into the country until after you give birth. And I have to hide the caged bird seal."

She wanted to chide him and to come back with the fact that he always hid it but she knew why. The mark shamed him. It said that because he wasn't the main branch that he was less than worthy of bearing the Hyuuga name. It angered her that they still practiced such a vulgar and demeaning ritual. Instead Sakura settled her hands on her stomach like she had seen her pregnant patients do countless times before. The only thing that would give them away was if someone where to place a hand on Sakura's belly too long and not feel any movement. So she proposed another altercation to their cover story. Saki had had a miscarriage late into her first pregnancy that had almost cost her her life as well taking her child's. Naoki was very protective because of almost losing his wife and Saki wouldn't allow anyone save her husband to touch her belly for fear of losing the child. It seemed like a rock solid story with all of their bases covered.

"The head of the Sanda clan is really paying a pretty penny for us."

"I believe that they would. It is there ancestry and livelihood we are protecting."

Sakura turned away to her now blue eye partner turned husband. Her and Neji's mission was to obtain a scroll from the country village they were going to prominent socialite. He was basically the city's mayor. He ran the elections, the business guilds, and the police force. He had stolen a scroll of blueprints detailing a very new and very powerful weapon. Neji and Sakura were hired to get it back. But at first Sakura had doubts as to why the city's unofficial dynamo would steal anything at all.

"Odayaka Kawa doesn't seem like a bad person. He's loved by his village completely, adopted ten children over the years, no illegal transactions of any kind… Why would he steal the scroll?"

Neji however wasn't that lineate.

"For money, for power, for control. It does not matter. It also does not matter what he has done or who he has helped. It is our mission to return the scroll. We are not to make judgments by other people's perceptions."

She held her tongue. She knew the Ninja code by heart just like every other ninja that came from the Village Hidden in Leaves. This comment didn't anger her nearly as much as this morning when Tsunade handed her the pregnancy pillow that fit her stomach like some crazed Halloween costume. The fake rubber smoothed seamlessly onto her by a simple chakra seal that would come off with a simple release. She turned back to Neji just as their carriage entered into the clearing.

"Why do you think they paid us so much? We aren't going to have to rent a house are we? Then we'll have nothing left!"

A slight smirk crossed the usually stoic ninja's face as he leaned slightly into Sakura and pointed to a house near the middle of town. It was small but it was nothing sort of extravagant. The woodwork alone would have cost a fortune, the branching tree carved into the opening above the wooden porch marked that it was a home belonging to the great Sanda clan. Sakura peered out the window and saw a small gathering toward the house. Now she knew why Neji had moved closer. She put on an excited face and pressed herself close to the window. It was time for her to do her job and earn her keep.


End file.
